


Bed's Too Small With You

by matrixrefugee



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Deleted Scenes, F/M, miracle day compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:31:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18196028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixrefugee/pseuds/matrixrefugee
Summary: Set during Miracle Day - Esther finds a moment of innocent solace with Jack, during their two months on the run.





	Bed's Too Small With You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for < lj user="love_bingo">'s "platonic love". Jack Harkness/Esther Drummond. Set during the two months between "End of the Road" and "The Gathering".

Yet another shabby room in a low rate hotel in a long chain of fleabags, on their cross-country flight, and this time, they had only one bed for the both of them.

"I tried to get one with a pair of twin beds," Esther said, helping Jack to lay back on the pillows of that one bed. "I'll take the couch tonight."

Jack peered over her shoulder toward the battered sofa against the opposite wall. "Looks more like an ouch than a couch, with those springs sagging," he said. "I wouldn't want you to get your pretty hide punched full of holes: can't have the both of us injured or you risking tetanus."

"But you need your space," she said, feeling her cheeks turn warm.

Jack looked up at her, smirking a bit. "Are you speaking for yourself? I won't touch you unless you want me to, and you haven't exactly been giving me Those Kinds of Signals."

"Well, it's not for lack of looking," she admitted, perching herself on the foot of the bed.

"And I've seen you lookin'," he said, with a grin of approval. A wince put paid to that and his hand went to his side.

"Are you all right?" she asked, getting up and reaching for the bag of medical supplies she kept on hand, things she had had to procure on the sly from dubious dealers and contacts whom Rex had nudged them toward.

"Yeah, just a twinge: painkillers might be wearing down, and it hurts worse when I try to flirt," he said, laying back on the rubbery-looking pillows.

"It's probably time I changed the bandages," Esther said, taking a box of surgical-type gauze pads from the bag and a roll of cloth tape, along with a pad of cotton wool and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

"Speaking of flirting," Jack said, obliging by unbuttoning his shirt and rolling up his undershirt, uncovering his chest, but for once, his tone was less flirtatious and his mannerisms more practical. Normally, Esther would have a hard time not staring at a nicely but naturally muscled guy like Jack -- clearly a guy who worked out, but who didn't look like one of those plastic-looking body builders -- but the wide bandages covering his lower rib cage and upper abdomen sent those feelings of attraction into retreat. She sat down beside Jack and started to peel back the cloth tape holding down the gauze, or more specifically, the corners that had started to curl up and turn dingy.

"Gahhh, if I had any hair down there, you'd be peeling it off," Jack growled, covering the pain.

"Hold still, I don't want to tear the wound open while I'm removing the bandages," she said, concerned that she might be causing him more pain.

"Good thing I'm in too much pain to move," he said, wryly.

She wiped the wound clean with a peroxide-soaked pad of gauze. "Doesn't keep you from grumbling," she noted. "I'm not making this worse, am I?"

"It'd be worse if you'd left the bandages on: they were getting pretty raunchy," he admitted, closing his eyes.

Once she had finished changing the bandages, Esther perched herself on the unoccupied side of the bed, taking out her laptop to catch up on the news.

"There's a thing in the room called a television," Jack teased, peering around her to eye the screen.

"I'd rather filter the news and avoid the latest on Oswald Danes," she says. "Or the speculation about him, either."

"No argument there," he said, settling back.

"Nothing worth noting here, either," Esther said, setting the laptop on the nightstand and laying back on the pillow, realizing she was just inches from Jack, she glanced toward the couch. "I can still move to the couch or sleep on the floor," she offered.

"Not gonna hear of it: you stay here next to me," he said, brooking no argument.

She lay back on the pillow, reaching to switch off the light before settling down. Within moments, she slid into a doze.

Late in the night, she awakened, realizing she had turned over onto her side with her head resting on Jack's shoulder. And Jack had curled his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh... sorry," she murmured, but made no move to turn over.

"Not that kind of a hug," he whispered, close to her ear, but making no other move toward her. "You looked lonely."

"'S hard to be lonely with you," she said, closing her eyes again. She felt Jack stroke her shoulder, reassuring her, soothing her, the kind of touch she needed here and now, in this strange time and place.


End file.
